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Khorne
Khorne, known also as the Blood God and the Lord of Battles is the mighty and terrible Chaos God of War, Death, Courage, Strength, Wrath, Rage and Hate. His domain encompasses the most basic and brutal of sentient emotion and every act of killing is said to empower Him, the more vicious and bloodthirsty, the better. Khorne is Lord of war and death, but also Lord of martial honour and excellence at arms. He is said to smile upon feats of valour and blood-drenched warrior skill, and he is the patron of proud warriors who set themselves against impossible foes and who succeed against the odds through strength and skill. Khorne is said to enjoy feats of strength and exalts the brave and powerful of both sides while laying his terrible vengeance upon the cowardly and craven. Thus, a man who puts his faith in Khorne is just as likely to be an honourable warrior as he is a blood-crazed killer. Perhaps he will be both at the same time. The warriors of Khorne, though gore-maddened berserkers, take no sadistic approach to killing. For such decadent actions serve only to praise and empower Slaanesh, the honourless adversary of Khorne amongst the company of the gods, and also because all devotees of Khorne believe it is the right of any warrior to die an honourable death with sword or axe in hand. Khorne is the eldest and mightiest of the Gods of Chaos. Khorne is known by a thousand, thousand names in the North. He is known as Kharnath, Akhar, Kjorn, Khorgar, the Axefather, the Bloodfather, the Bloodwolf and the Wolf-Father, as well as an uncounted number of other titles. The Blood God is worshiped by almost every tribe in the North, for the Northmen are warrior-peoples who delight in the rush and thrill of honourable combat. But none amongst the number of the North are more ardent followers of Him than the bloodthirsty Norscans. Indeed, the savage Norsemen dedicate themselves wholly to Khorne's creed of death and battle, and many are the tribes of Norsca who take Him as their sole patron, indeed, the brutal lifestyle and behavior of the marauders tribes above the Sea of Claws coincides well with what Khorne desires from his worshipers. Tales tell of the warriors of Norsca who cry out Khorne's name in battle and who sing terrible battle-dirges as they kill which praise the Lord of Battles. The merciless berserkers of Norsca are truly savage warriors, and many have been undone by their unholy fury. The Norscan devotion to Khorne is such that he is often invoked in the oaths and curses of those people, it is common for Norsemen to swear "by Kharnath's axe", or "by the blood of Kharnath". In the sagas of the North, Khorne is depicted as an raging, mightily thewed giant with the snarling head of a great wolf, clad in brass plate that easily turns aside any blow. His lupine head is concealed by a great winged helmet and he clutches a massive battleaxe or greatsword in his fist, legends tell that the drawing of this dolorous weapon is the harbinger of calamity and that Khorne can split asunder reality itself with the merest strike of this blade were it his desire. Upon his fingers he bears brass rings upon which are mounted the skulls of lesser, usurper war-gods, and his terrible bellows of rage echo throughout creation and shake entire worlds to their core. Khorne sits upon his Brass Throne atop an unimaginably tall mountain of skulls. Grizzly trophies having reaped since before creation was born and taken from members of every race. Their number is beyond counting, for every moment, the mountain grows taller as Khorne's warriors make bloody tithes to it, whether by the foes they slay in battle or by themselves slain. The mountain is said to reflect the bloodletting of mortal realms, forever feeding the already omnipotent Blood God, but never sating his thirst for death. For Khorne cares not from whence blood flows, only that it flows, without cease, for all eternity. It is said, however, that Khorne welcomes his servants who died in battle into his Halls, where they are said to fight on for all eternity under the Blood God's gaze. It is even said that the most foremost of these glorious dead can even be molded into Bloodletters, his lesser daemonic creations, by his will as he sees fit. To bring these warriors into his fold, Khorne is said to have charged his servant, the Daemon Prince, Valkia the Bloody, to descend onto the battlefield with every dawn and carry them to his gore-soaked realm. This unimaginable reward drives the grim warriors of North who serve Khorne to even greater heights of bloodthirsty strength in battle, for to enter the Halls of Khorne is a reward without equal. Khorne is said to favour wolves as his sacred animal, for the wolf respects only strength and longs after the scent of blood. Thus, Khorne himself is often associated with the wolf, especially by the many Norse tribes who pay him homage. It is said that it is for this reason that the Flesh-Hounds of Khorne take on a lupine aspect when hunting in the mortal realms. Other animals associated with Khorne are invariably ones of power and strength, such as lions, powerful hunting hounds, and even oxen. The code of Khorne is a simple stricture: blood and death. His only commandment is that his followers kill and wage war without end. Every life taken in anger increases the Blood God's baleful power. Khorne is said to look favourably upon warriors who slay even their own fellows in battle. For all death is equal in Khorne's eyes. Amongst the devotees of Khorne, it is said that if a man lets a single day pass without battle and blood, he has wasted the day, and will incur the wrath of the Blood God. Thus, those Champions of Chaos high in Khorne's favour and despised and feared by even their fellow servants of Chaos. Khorne despises spell-casting and trickery, see such measures as the provenance of weaklings and cowards, for the slaves of Khorne embody fierce men who live and die by the blade. As such, no wizards dedicate themselves to the Blood God. Khorne's Seers, known as Bloodfathers are instead mighty warrior-priests, and their strength is of steel and sinew rather than cowards' magic. It is said amongst the northern tribes that no man can withstand a Bloodfather in combat, for there is no trick of axe and blade that has not been revealed to them by the Blood God. Khorne's favour is said to impart an immunity to magic upon his followers, making them the bane of wizards and spell-casters. Khorne, while a god of wanton death and destruction, is said to have inherited a savage code of martial honour, ultimately believing the weak and helpless to be unworthy of even his scorn as well as mercy. The battle cry of the Warriors of Khorne reflects their god's love for wanton violence: "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" they cry while in the thick of brutal, bloody battle that they so crave. Followers of degenerate Slaanesh are effete weaklings without honour, and the devotees of Tzeentch are book-bound cowards unwilling to engage in honest battle. Khorne's sacred number is eight, and this is reflected in the organization of his armies, as well as in more esoteric matters, like the number of syllables in a daemonic creature's name. Also note that the Mark of Khorne very vaguely resembles a stylized eight. Description The name "Khorne" derives from his Dark Tongue name, "Kharneth", meaning "Lord of Rage". Although Khorne despises the use of magic and accordingly hates Tzeentch, Slaanesh is his opposite. Khorne and Slaanesh personify two entirely opposing aspects of Chaos, and Khorne considers Slaanesh a weakling without martial pride or honour. Depictions of Khorne show it to be a mighty being, sitting upon a great throne of brass atop a mountainous pile of bleached skulls centered in a lake of blood. The skulls are of all those slain by Khorne's Champions, and of all his slain Champions.The mountain slowly grows ever higher. Khorne is said to have inherited a martial nobility and honour, and considers the weak and helpless to be unworthy of his wrath. He is associated with the number eight, reflected in the organisation of his armies, and in smaller matters such as the number of syllables in a daemonic follower's name. Followers As one of the four great Chaos Gods, Khorne has an unlimited supply of servants, warriors, and daemons to do what he pleases. Those under his worship are men who lust after battle and bloodshed, the thrill of exhibiting their dominance over others. Khorne's followers are warriors without exception, if only in mind than in occupation. His followers build no temples but rather worship him on the battlefield. To devote time to building temples rather than fighting for something would more likely incur Khorne's wrath than please him. Worship of Khorne is purely through bloodshed, either from one's enemies in victory or one's own through earnest struggle; it is said that any follower who allows a day to pass without contributing to this act of worship will incur Khorne's displeasure. In spite of this, like all Chaos Gods, Khorne tolerates the building of bloody shrines. Though, predictably, he has less than one would expect given his legions of followers. The majority of these shrines are located in the settlements of the savage Norsemen, but also in the few rare permenant encampments and hidden cities of the Hung and Kurgans. Those that satisfy Khorne's hunger, are blessed with unimaginable strength, courage, valour, and martial skill. However these "gifts" come at a price, for whenever Khorne grants them these blessings, it tears a piece of the bearer's sanity, and eventually makes the person nothing more then a killing machine meant to spill blood in the name of Khorne. Daemons Just like the other Gods, Khorne also has his own army of Deamons who will do as his command. Of all the daemons of Chaos, the daemons of Khorne bear the greatest resemblance to the archetypal demon of human mythology and religious imagery, having a human body, cloven hooves, leathery bat-like wings and horned, bestial heads. They wield a fiery whip and a massive two-headed battleaxe simultaneously in battle. They are the strongest and most aggressive of all Daemons. *Bloodletters - The common Daemons of Khorne. They are horned humanoids with hunched, crested backs, and their limbs are wiry but are notoriously strong. They wield blood-drinking blades called Hellblades. They are the most common Khornate deamons summoed by Sorcerers, and other great chaos lords, and worshipers. They are also the pure manifestation of Mankind, and many other races, rage, courage, vengance, and power. They are also known as the Naked Slayers, the Teeth of Death and the Horned Ones. *Bloodthirsters - Of all the deamons under Khornes servantude, the Bloodthirster is one of his most strongest, fiercest, and one of the most powerful deamons in Khornes realm, and many other deamonic realms. The creature is descripted as a large blood-red deamonic humaniod, heavily influenced by Christian mythology, it is seen as having cloven hoofed-feet, large hornds, with big leathery wings, a very muscular body, with ethier a canine head or a humaniod one. As the strongest creature in Khornes realm, only the most gifted, blessed, or favored followers of khorne can summon such a dangerous creature, for they see no such things as allies, but see everyone as a great offering to Khorne, making a Bloodthirst a powerful, yet dangerous ally to have in a battlefield, and only the most strongest, and couragous men can fight and surive against one. *Juggernants - daemonic steeds of Khorne, sometimes granted to Champions of Khorne as mounts. A huge beasts made from living daemonic metal, it roughly resembles a gigantic rhinoceros. These beasts are kept in pens where they tend to fight for dominance amongst themselves. However, a particularly favoured mortal or daemonic champion will sometimes attempt to claim one as a mount. This is no easy task, and the smashed remnants of the unlucky champions who lie dead in their pens. But those of great strength of will are the ones who bind these beasts forever to their will. *Flesh Hounds - the Daemon Beasts of Khorne are the monstrous and ferocious creatures of a feral, lupine aspect notorious for their ability to track down their chosen prey. They are also known as Hunters of Blood and have claws to rend their foes apart once they catch them. They exist for the sheer thrill of the chase and the inevitable kill. By some accounts, the Flesh Hounds were loosed against cowardly warriors who killed the weak and unworthy. Great Fortress of Khorne The Fortress of Khorne is Khorne's realm within the Warp. It is a monument to fury and bloodshed, and is built upon foundations of murder and conflict. This blood-soaked realm echoes constantly with Khorne's bellows and the clash of weapons. At the centre of this mighty fortress lies the Brass Citadel, where Khorne's mighty throne resides. He sits atop a mountain of skulls, those slain in his name. A great fire pit lights Khorne's gloomy chamber, the dark flames consume the souls of cowards who have fled from battle. Inside the Fortress lays the foundries of Khorne, manned by souls of warriors who died in their sleep and thus forever shamed by the Blood God. Around the citadel flows a moat, and is filled not with water, but with the boiling blood of those who have lost their lives to war. Beyond this moat lies league upon league of cracked land, littered with the ravaged bones of those fallen in battle. A mighty crevasse splits the wasteland in two, a canyon many miles long and bottomless. The fortress is also said to contain pens of Juggernauts and a complex of battlements equipped with great infernal cannons.It is said that Khorne himself was once consumed by such rage that he took up his sword and smote the ground, splitting it asunder for eternity. This fell sword is known by many names including 'Warmaker' and the 'End of All Things', and is capable of laying waste to worlds with a single blow. Sources * Armybook: Hordes of Chaos (6th Edition) pg. 18 * Armybook: Warriors of Chaos (7th Edition) pg. 17 * Armybook: Warriors of Chaos (8th Edition) pg. 10 * Armybook: Chaos Daemons (7th Edition) pg. 6 * Liber Carnagia (RPG) pg. 4 - 7, 8 - 11, 16 - 20, 21 - 23 * Liber Chaotica: Khorne (Background Book) pg. 5, 8 - 11, 26 - 30, 58, 60 - 61 * Tome of Corruption (RPG) pg. 196 * Tome of Salvation (RPG) pg. 135 * Wulfrik (Novel) by C.L. Werner * Road of Skulls (Novel) by Anthony Reynolds * Valkia the Bloody (Novel) by Sarah Cawkwell * Blood Raven (Short Story) by Sarah Cawkwell * Reaper (Short Story) by Sarah Cawkwell Category:Chaos Gods Category:K Category:Chaos